Abdominal swelling, allergy, gluten, fodmap

General health and lifestyle
1

Hi guys. I'm hoping you can offer some suggestions.

I have oral allergy syndrome, so avoid many fruits and vegetables. And spices too.

I swell a *lot* .. especially after eating. Some (face, throat n limbs) they have said is angioedema. The abdomen they think is not angioedema. I have as much as 12" difference in my waistline throughout the day (all in front poking out like I'm pregnant).

They suspect celiac's. I have mild villi blunting in my intestine. They have a genetic test underway.

They also suspect fructose intolerance .. esp in light of my oral allergy syndrome. Testing this on Friday.

I am currently eating low fodmap and gluten free. I am also avoiding known allergens.

I am still swelling. I'd like some suggestions for what might be causing it and the order for removing things.

For example, I am only using potato and rice as carbs/starches. Rice crispies with lactaid and blueberries was fine

Tuna with rice crisps (rice, oil, salt) caused swelling.

Mongolian barbecue with meats, carrot, green beans, salt, brown rice, weak iced tea with sweet n low... Huge swelling

Baked potato with real butter, some swelling.

Potato chips (potato, oil, salt) big swelling.

I'm also eating hard cheese.

So, I'm not sure if this is some kind of an oil problem (not sure if butter and other vegetable based oils share anything in common)

Or if it's some kind of a carb problem (grains n roots)...

Any suggestions?

Any idea if there are food groupings that suggest an additional sensitivity I should avoid all together?

My food list is quite small. But I'm willing to go smaller if it will help

Jen

2

I'm going through this bit by bit.

Potato and rice are fine. You haven't said if you're fine with fish, esp tuna on its own?

The mongolian barbeque contains a lot of things and you don't say which meat is in it. I don't know what sweet n low means?

When you say baked potato with real butter some swelling how do you know it's not due to something else you;ve eaten? Some allergens can make you react a day or two later. I woundn't recommend eating any kind of crisps.

You said you're eating cheese but you didn't say if it gives you a reaction or not?

I've never heard of reactions to good oils butI'm a thin person whose belly swells up if I eat gluten or wheat and I know there are people who get worse symptoms than that.

 

3

Hi Georgia. I've working on an elimination diet since November. I've tried a lot of things.. meat seems fine (all meat I've tried except egg). For instance. If I est steak fried in butter with green beans.. all ok. If I add a potato with butter.. swelling. I'm not sure if it's the butter and I'm just not over my threshold until I add the potato or if it's the potato itself. I'm wondering if it's oils because that's the only other ingredient in crisps. Maybe I have trouble digesting too much fat? Or maybe I have trouble digesting heavy carbs? Cheese seems fine. I have meat slices wrapped around mozzarella and that seems fine. So is feta cheese in salads. Sweet n low is a brand of artificial sweetener with a low fodmap sweetener.

4

It seems like it's carbs then. It's not just gluten and wheat that we have to worry about; it's all the pesticides etc that get sprayed on carb crops.

Are you chemically sensitive? I have multiple chemical sensitivities!

5

Artificial sweeteners! Stop eating them right now!! They're full of chemicals.

6

Yes,, Jennie google multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS).

7

I'm sensitive to bleach and allergic to sodium Laurel sulfate, and balm of Peru. A few others with crazy names I can't remember.

8

Can you handle synthetic perfume or aftershave?

9

There is one perfume I tolerate ok, but it provoked a skin reaction on patch testing. I avoid smelly things on principle. Including smoke. Newspaper toner (the dry chalky ink),use rubber gloves and a face mask when using cleaners, etc. I also have asthma which can get provoked by these things.

10

I think that between us we've found out the problem. I'm the same as you, in fact if I eat a food or go near a person with harsh chemical scents it floors me. 

I suggest that you try as hard as you can to find out what's in the foods you eat. Read the labels, don't eat processed foods etc. And look up MCS.

11

Almost all of my body products cause irritant level reactions on patch testing. Also blue food dye. I use Cleure now which is better, but still somewhat problematic. No mascara, eyeliner or eyeshadow. Found one foundation/powder that works ok.

12

I also have oral allergy syndrome and oral latex syndrome.

My Ige is over 300 and my igg is down to 614. I think it's an immune system problem.

Right now I'm eating very restricted whole foods. I'm going to try to also eliminate potato, rice and corn and see what happens. Hate to do it, but hate swelling more.

13

That could well be the case but I hate to cop to things doctors don't believe in. It makes getting care hard.